California Voices

Sandi Matsumoto, The Nature Conservancy: Five years ago, California became the last state in the West to regulate groundwater. Many thought this would be impossible until the need for groundwater management became overwhelmingly clear during the last drought. We should not wait for the next drought to finish what we’ve started

California is enjoying multibillion-dollar surpluses, but voters could still face a dizzying array of tax increases on the ballot next year.

Rob Lapsley and Allan Zaremberg, Business Roundtable and California Chamber of Commerce: A split-roll initiative would remove Proposition 13’s protections for commercial and industrial property and raise their property taxes by billions of dollars a year. Businesses would have no choice but to pass those increased costs onto you and me, raising the prices on everything we buy, from gasoline to groceries, while also raising our utility and healthcare bills.

Local officials may mislead voters about tax and bond measures, but they can't lie to bankers without the feds investigating.

Joe Nation, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: Legislative attempts at reform of public employee pensions barely made a dent in the problem. Public pension debt will continue to grow. The question is whether California’s leaders have the courage to acknowledge and implement the aggressive and comprehensive reforms that are so clearly required.

Gary E. Mead, former associate director of the U.S. Marshal Service: If private prisons are not meeting the needs of the state, steps should be taken to address those needs. But a ban on much needed private prisons is not the answer, at least not if Gov. Newsom’s goal is to improve the conditions for state inmates, and the treatment of immigrants in custody.

A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk would make it more difficult to qualify measures for the ballot, a long-sought goal of Democrats and their allies.

Rich Gordon, California Forestry Association: California’s biomass market is ripe for expansion and offers an environmentally responsible way to reduce forest fuel loads, fight climate change, and produce renewable energy. Without leadership, however, a crucial opportunity will be lost.

Is there a tipping point at which California's negative factors cause the state to decline?

Jerry Butkiewicz, San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board member: Threats to our quality of life are very real. Clean air, clean water, the Endangered Species Act and worker health and safety are important values worth preserving. We must work together to protect California from the damaging actions of the Trump administration. That’s why SB 1 is so important.